Grrrr

The curtains are down. The girl decided to climb up them. This is what happens when your 5 year old climbs ropes at the gym. Their life is not spent on the ground like normal people.

Now I'm contemplating if I should try, try, again.

Making headway...

It was very hard to get the wire bit in the little tube and then put the little bits in to hold it in while balancing on a step stool. After dropping everything several times - and climbing up and down the stool with screws, an electric drill, and other hardware I mounted the second part but could not hold the wire while doing the last part. I grabbed the boy and being almost a man, he figured it out. *phew*

But I don't think I like the way it all looks. Shears are really, well, shear! Even orange ones. Maybe it will be improved once I move her carpet and hang her pictures and put in her puppet theater...? Maybe??? What I would give for 400 more sq feet!

The poor little girl is sick with a head cold and I'm dousing her with hot tea, Dimetapp, and she has her antibiotics and Delsym before bed. I brought her home early and she watched WordGirl while we snuggled and I read. She did some of her homework and then we just talked and curled up like cats. We had a light dinner and then the boy stayed with her while I ran to the store for bread and milk.

I am not sure if I will be able to make it into work tomorrow. I just want her to feel better and her teacher told me almost every kid in the class as well as herself all have the same bad cold.

I'm off for some tea and a good sleep as I refuse to get caught up in an illness right now.

Sweet Dreams.

PS - I am thinking nothing I'm saying makes sense...Here's the Ikea product. Notice there are no screws....

and the orange panels....I used 4.

I am so behind!

My living room is still torn up and because of the new arrangement, I'm going to have to get a power strip thingy so I can turn off the light with the switch instead of climbing behind a chair and pulling the plug in and out of the wall every single time I want the light on or off. Yes, that is exactly what I will call it when I go into Home Depot "power strip thingy" and chances are, they will know exactly what I'm talking about.

I am borrowing wire cutters so I don't need to purchase them too. But with the rain, I now have ants in the pantry (which is now empty and all of the food is in boxes). Home Depot has a poison free spray that intimidates them and I cannot find the entry point so what a mess!!!!

AND the boy said he was going to fall yesterday and grabbed the towel bar in the nice "new" bathroom and it broke. How can you almost fall in a room with less than 2 sq feet of standing room???? I'm not upset, just bewildered.

I get to figure out this other thing that the boy's girlfriend's dad gave me for the screws. It's a white plastic hollow screw. I "think" I somehow drill that into the wall and then drill in the screw. I am guessing it makes the screw in the drywall more secure? I have never dealt with any of this and I am positive he is laughing because I have no idea what I am doing and he is a professional and gave the the white things just to confuse me even more. And how do I get it all out when I move?

I am SO out of my comfort zone. Can you tell?

This weekend, I am starting my garden. This year it is my "random"garden. What is a random garden you ask? Basically, anytime the girl or I see interesting seeds or starter plants, we will prepare them and then plant them. No careful planning this time, lots of crowding. We just want it to be filled with lots of flowers and get butterfly visitors. If I can find some really cheap large pots, we will grown vegetables in them the third week in February. I can't wait to have bouquets of flowers!

Weather Update!!!!

Today on my way to Pinkberry, I walked past HSS (Huntington Surf & Sport). They had a sign on the door.... "We are open, doors closed due to weather." Yup, we had a little rain today. And for an afternoon, the world stopped.

I took a pic with my cell phone, but I'm not sure what the easiest (cheapest) way is to get it off my phone and posted here. :P

The Ikea Whore Strikes Again!

After the girl's lesson this morning, we headed to the land of the free breakfast. Okay, while it's not really free - they off a .99, 1.99, or a 2.99 breakfast with coffee. And what 5 year old doesn't love, love, love coffee?

Alright she had orange juice and I had the java. When all the food was cleared, I grabbed the coffee cup and dropped her off at the kids room and headed back to the cafe with a book and refill. Forty five minutes to sit and read. Alone. And drink. It's really quite perfect. My private utopia. With 15 minutes of free time left, I start planning the living room.

I picked up two packages of orange sheer panels, a wire curtain rod, colored picture frames, and then picked her up and headed through the checked out. My 6 dollar breakfast bill ended up being a 50.00 field trip. There is so much I NEED from Ikea. Okay, okay, I'll call them "wants".

I have an insanely long living room and no playroom so my goal was to move the entertainment center, flip the couch, move a chair, figure out the curtain rod, and hang the new curtains. Then throw her stuff back in her new "room" and hang her pictures in the frames and call it a day.

Of course I'm mostly halfway through this ordeal when I realize my cordless drill is dead. So very, very dead. It's been charging for three hours and it's still mostly dead. So now I have (drum roll please...) a huge mess.

No wait, now I have two giant messes. Without her play area fixed up, I now have half her stuff in the kitchen/dining room/office and the other mess is the unfinished living room.

I could not move the entertainment center by myself with anything in it. I unplugged and removed the dvd player, the vhs player, and the wii. I cannot figure out all of these plugs and cords. The boy is off with friends so I have to wait for him to come home and reset it up. And I guess deep down inside I don't want to!

I'm heading for Pinkberry. I cannot take this do-it-herself project without crying in my frozen crack yogurt.

Do you have any idea how bad network television is on Saturday night?

Rain, Flash Floods, Toronados, Oh My!

Just last week it was in the 70's and now, we have weather. Weather is a novelty to most Southern Californians (and my home state AZ). We appreciate a little rain, a bit of fog, and of course take for granted wearing tee shirts and flip flops year round.

But give more than some sprinkles and we are seriously impaired. Freeways are at a stand still, we hurl curses at idiots that "don't know how to drive in the rain" as we hit storm drains filled with water at 50mph and think "Phew! Didn't see that one coming!". We insist on driving through washes and being rescued by helicopter and insist it was just a little water, I was SURE I could make it .

We are simply weather stupid. Before my fair weather com padres get upset, I mean really, think about it...our weather man is named Dallas Raines. He sports suits made for gangsters (the old fashioned kind - not "gangstas"), a bright orange tan and Da Vinci veneers. And you know he is totally guessing. How hard is it to say, it's going to be sunny and 70 degrees 300 days a year?

This my friends, is Dallas Raines

People on the street are interviewed (weather makes the top news story) "I see it's raining and you are wearing flip flops...are you getting wet?". Uh, ya think?

Don't get me wrong, I own an umbrella, it's just it was broken when I let the kids use it this summer in the sprinklers. I never thought I would actually need it.

Lovingly yours,

Queen of Weather Stupid (who is simply bitter because she dried and styled her hair only to have it get wet and look like shit on her way into the office and she finally remembered what happened to her umbrella.)

last night was uneventful.

Listened to The Rock's newest video release The Game Plan while reading a really awful romance novel. I have a thing for the pirate rogue and this did not have my favorite type of character. It was SOOOOOO bad that I wanted to put it away, put I kept hoping for some nicely written sex scenes. However, they just repeated the same ones over and over. Really? - do I care that the her fingernails were tingly? Four times?????

Instead, I was bored to tears by the man who loves his wife in the bedroom but doesn't acknowledge her during the day. If the author threw in some Bible verses it would make more sense to have that many morals within a pink cover.

Mystery Solved!

I noticed a week or so ago, my pantry had a weird (bad) smell. I pulled it apart thinking a potato must have fallen from its spot or some other item had fallen. To be honest, after we had a mouse over a year ago, I was thinking that one of the traps had caught something. But no, everything was neat and tidy.

Yesterday, the boy was looking for something to snack on from the pantry and I heard him gag. He was holding a baggie with a brownish red liquid in it and asked, "How long ago did you buy roast beef?".

Ack!!!!!!! In my morning haste (and I don't remember how long ago I bought roast beef), I must have made the girl lunch and absentmindedly put the baggie in the cupboard instead of in the fridge.

I am dancing with joy over the fact that the mystery smell has been solved. And I wasn't the one who had to deal with it.

The weekend fun that wasn't....

Saturday:
took the girl to her first new sport lesson and realized I was an hour off - she missed it! She was beyond sad so I asked if I could pay someone to give her a lesson. They were really nice and just put her in a different class that was just starting. Crisis avoided!

After her lesson, we went to get her new skates. it's kind of pathetic, but the shop is adjacent to a huge arena and it was PACKED. I kind of wig out at really loud and busy places so we went into the shop and I had this huge panic and we had to leave. I drove around the block deep breathing a couple times before I could handle returning.

She was over the moon thrilled! She keeps taking them out of the bag just to marvel over their perfectness. She has to 'break them in" and wear them about the house with the guards on them.

We spent the early evening at Downtown Disney. Dinner was nice until the last couple of bites and I found in my salad there were bits of glass. Of course I felt I was going to die at that point. :P Yes, I am a bit dramatic....

We got home and the boy joined us for a movie.

Sunday:
I woke up with the worst migraine I've ever had. I got them ready for church and took her to her class and the boy went to do his bit (he assists with A/V - he insists or he says he would be bored and fall asleep). I went to the cry room and fell asleep. I felt SO bad. Finally, the medicine kicked in I was able to function and I took them to Chuck E Cheese for the girl's friend's birthday.

One of the moms asked me what my girl's goals were for gymnastics. I replied, her goal is to learn new things, have fun and not get hurt. She said No, what track does she want to be on? Is she looking at national competitions, recreational competitions? This year? Next year?

YIKES! Our girls are only 5 (well hers isn't quite 5). Do 5 year olds really have any goals? Do they plan the future at 5? Is it strange to be a good gymnast for a 5 year old and NOT have a goal for the future set yet? I just can't make plans that far down the line. So I said "We'll just have to see what happens when it happens." I probably failed the ambitious mommy test, and won't make it in the exclusive mommy club.

For giggles I asked her last night, "So honey, what are your future goals?" and she replied, "To play soccer." I should add, soccer is one sport she has never played. So her brother piped in, "But you've never played." and she said "I've been practicing. I've been kicking the beach ball against the stairs". You can't argue with that logic. However, it's going to be really hard to fit soccer into the current schedule. And I know nothing about soccer aside from what I saw in Bend it Like Beckham.

I went to Trader Joe's for groceries, saw that Wild Oats is now Whole Foods (depressing how mega corporations take over everything that is lovely). And shopped for casual clothing for the girl at a local shop.

Monday
I cleaned. I ironed two weeks worth of the girl's uniforms, put clean bedding on the beds, and made a lovely dinner. While I was cleaning I came across my mom's journals. I started reading the one from the year she died and came across my birthday. For some reason it makes me miserably sad that she doesn't mention it. And then I'm miserable because I feel guilty for reading her private things. Now, I'm all melancholy.

My Eyes!!!!!!!!!

I don't knock on the bedroom door to the boy's room. My house, my room, he is just borrowing it until college.

Last night he got back from seeing Cloverfield. He was being a little - well a LOT of almost 15. So I went to his room and opened the door to continue to nag him (I as a mom am not above nagging) and he responded, "Mom! I was about to change, can't you knock first?!".

I responded "You're in your boxers and I wasn't finished talking to you!". (Yes, I call nagging "talking".)

So he got smirky said "Okay, fine" and pulled down his boxers.

GOD, I HATE 14!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, now he's grounded and has no phone. It's going to be a LONG weekend.

In the future though...

I'm going to knock.

I was horribly wrong

I had thought my project was complete but after running the numbers found we were about 500 off. I spent a frantic couple of days getting them in. It was such a bad feeling! I have had afternoon headaches for the past couple of days so I have left early. I don't think my eyes can handle so much of the computer anymore.

But once again, I am done (for real this time) and not I just have a massive amount to file.

So as it is I have nothing intereting to add! This is what happens when you live at work: your life becomes stale.

Because of everything taking so much personal time, I'm planning a weekend getaway. I have no idea where yet (hence the beginning planning stage).

But I cannot stay home! I need to have an adventure.

Ha! I am mostly done with my project!

More papers will be crossing my desk over the next six months, but nothing like what I was processing this past month. I felt so badly for my kids. I would work, pick them up, pick up dinner to-go and then go back to work. They would use computers, read and explore while I slaved away. Then, I'd bring them home and decide if I needed to go back to work or stay home and go in extra early the next day. Super awful!

My boss doesn't mind overtime for this project but to be honest, I HATE doing overtime. I'd much prefer to go home and live my simple life.

Today was busy, I took the girl to ice skating lessons and bumped into an old friend. Our kids skated while we chatted so it was nice to exercise our mouths while we froze our asses off. After, I took the girl to breakfast and we shopped at Ikea.

While I was there I found a little kid dresser in the As-Is section. I LOVE the As-Is section. I have no hand or wrist strength so it's serendipitous to find pieces that are already to put together. I should say also that I drive a sub compact.

I got the dresser to the car and realized there is no way I can fit it in the trunk...or the backseat (the girl is under 40 lbs so she needs to be in a regular car seat (and she is almost 6!). So I manage to get it in the front seat but I have to hold it while I drive and drive with the window open. I opted to take a longer route and skip the freeway as I had no vision on the right side of the car. Always an adventure! I am glad though, it is perfectly darling and when she outgrows it, it will be small enough to fit inside a closet. Here it is, isn't it sweet for a little girl? She wanted to use it for her cooking supplies and cooking show. She makes movies of herself as a tiny Julia Child's.

My bathroom is done. I skipped painting and just went with brightly colored accessories colors. All the towels are yellow and the hand towels are bright lime. I added a lime rug too. Under the sink I found some containers and everything is simple, very neat and pleasant.

Next project is the kitchen. I picked up some large boxes and I hope the will fit for my baking supplies, but glancing up just now, I don't think it will work...I hate doing returns.

This whole "simplify your life" and "declutter" thing is a lot of effort. The payoff will be worth it though, a place for everything which means less work down the line for me!

Missing you all...

Work is incredibly work filled and I have been doing 10+ hour days and no days off for so long now so I have been quite neglectful here in blog world. My arm and hand are killing me and once this stupid project is over, I'm getting a massage.

To add in more to my calendar, I am cleaning out my downstairs bath and going to learn how to hang a cabinet. I may paint as it's quite ulgy 'as is'. AND when I am not being "handywoman", I will be sequining my girls' leotard and making hair things for her show this month.

Now if only I was also cooking meals from menus and ironing, I could wear a cape and be called "Super Mom".

So my cape right now just reads, "Super Tired".

Yours,

me

Thanks Ted!

So last night I fall asleep and around 3 I wake up again. So I try out Ted's "get to sleep" trick:

"I'll let you know my secret to insomnia. it sounds weird but it works, lay in bed, close your eyes and envision yourself having to survive in the outdoors after a plane crash or sunken boat or something to that effect. think about how you would build a shelter, make a fire, what you would eat all of that stuff. it gets your mind off what your thinking about and tires you out and then blam you are asleep."

So I decide to think about being on an island and because it was raining outside, I decide to make my fantasy occur during a tropical storm. I tried thinking of ways to make shelter.

I decided digging a hole and covering up with leaves would probably drown me. So then, I consider the fact I don't even have a pocket knife or flashlight and it's dark. I realize I'm cold, wet, alone and in the dark as I'm pretty sure the airline would not have permitted a lighter or matches on the plane.

As for breakfast - I can't fish. I went fishing when I was a kid but had a hook and line. And I caught nothing.

I start to panic. If I was in this scenario, there would be nothing nice and romantic about it. It would be hard and I'd probably slice my hand open banging a coconut upon a rock. I see visions of pneumonia, tetanus, and toothaches.

At this point I FEEL cold. So I tucked myself under my soft fuzzy fur blanket and I am SO grateful I have three pillows and a bed. And I fell asleep, soundly.

Reflecting, I should look up some wilderness survival course. If I should ever be in that situation, or even stranded on the 405 during rush hour, I want to come up with more than a hole covered with leaves.

The hole bed solution doesn't work for them either.

Insomnia Sucks

Up since 3...thinking I should just shower and go to work.

*sigh*

I should be chipper today.

An new guest over for dinner

Spaghetti was delish, rolls were nice, and for dessert we had Girl Scout ice cream. The cookie to ice cream ratio is off and that makes me sad. I love the Samoa ice cream and wait all year for it.

Maybe it's the memory of being a girl scout and selling door cookies in front of the grocery store and knowing the power of the lisp. While I never had a real speech impediment, I could look up from under long braids and ask, "Pleath Mither, would you pleath buy some cookieths for Girl Thcouths?

I use this power of speech inflections to even present day. Sometimes it's completely automatic and other times intentional. I can mimic almost any accent in a conversation and it's even easier over the phone. It amused coworkers when I did phone work back in the day.

Happy New Year!

I awoke with a cotton tasting mouth and remembered my affair with Mr. Myer's. The front lawn is strewn with streamers and confetti. The old year has ended.

And at the early hour in quietness, I reflect on the last year but I am also brimming with anticipation for 2008. I do not set a resolution, but I do consider ways to make this year even better.

I am throwing my nervousness about exploring new places aside so I might be more open to back roads, side trips and simply getting lost. I have spent the past year tramping through Los Angeles and the Bay Area and I just want to ready my mind with the knowledge that nothing goes perfectly and the imperfect things are what you remember most vividly.

I must go on vacation. I know that sounds silly - I often take vacation time. However, I feel drawn to visiting an unfamiliar state with a new horizon. I am a west coast girl and have never crossed the Mississippi or set foot into Canada and I have a strange desire to visit Banff and I think visiting New York would be amazing. So I shall draw up budgets, and see what can be done about those dreams.

Finally, I will try not to look inside myself quite so much and look inside others. I am quite stingy with my affections and often quite blind to what people close to me need out of me. I know these are part of my character traits, but that doesn't require them to be used.

I wish you the best of the New Year - magic and thrills in unexpected places.

Happy New Year!